Thinking of buying a Flicka 20

[Indefatiguable]

Aye that's a good point too about the wind

I still can't believe i didn't calculate the stresses of frequent trailering into my plans - if I'm only ever going to buy 1 boat - i'm gonna baby it As far as length is concerned, man - or ma'am as it were - getting off that trailer requirement has really truly opened up possibilities, having to launch on the local ramp narrows things drastically! So now, I'm (happily, oh so very happily) looking at a whole new realm of yacht designs i'd previously dismissed without a second thought. Many of my previous concerns still hold true, of course, but at this point i really need to step my thought process back a huge bit and re-evaluate what it is i'm looking for, what my "core criteria" are.

this is gonna be a fun year of picking a boat

[thomm225]

Here 's a list of some well built and inexpensive small boats with the Flicka being the smallest. There's also some good advice for first time boat buyers

I have a Bristol 27 which I can at 6' stand up in almost to the mast, but I couldn't imaging cruising it any way but singlehanded

https://atomvoyages.com/planning/goo...oats-list.html

[olaf hart]

Look at Catalina 30’s, the biggest small oldish well built boat we have seen.

My wife and I recently spent two summers aboard a Tartan 30, a sweet boat but the smallest we could have been comfortable on.

The couple of older Catalina 30’s we went aboard were another step up in size from our Tartan.

[hpeer]

Do you know about YachtWorld and especially the “advanced search” feature?

https://www.yachtworld.com/advanced-boat-search/

It’s jot the ONLY place to look for a boat, but a good place to get ideas and see what is possible.

[akprb]

NorSea 27 for 2, Flicka for 1.

[Scout 30]

If you're really serious here's your boat:

https://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/boa...957182366.html

[scallowayuk]

hi i had a percy dalton falmouth oyster dredger 22ft in ferro.i lived on her for 4 years and did 4 atlantic crossings.2 seasons in the caribbean.lovely boat.

[Scout 30]

I recommend monitoring this thread for some great deals. I just posted a listing for a Herreshoff H-28 that is a great boat listed at a very attractive price. I have not seen the boat but I have contacted the seller & he states that the boat needs no significant repairs & the sails are in like new condition. Important to note that caveat emptor always applies to boats!

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...47098-116.html

[Hardhead]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

I recommend monitoring this thread for some great deals. I just posted a listing for a Herreshoff H-28 that is a great boat listed at a very attractive price. I have not seen the boat but I have contacted the seller & he states that the boat needs no significant repairs & the sails are in like new condition.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...47098-116.html

If there's 1 thing you can do to really get the "lay of the land" - it's follow the excellent advice above. I believe you will be much better prepared in your decision if you spend some time pouring over the boats in this market.

If you get the chance, spend an hour or 2 walking the docks of a marina. Look at all the boats under 35'. Look at a 25' boat, and then try to find a Catalina 30 to compare everything to. I've been impressed with that boat - from a doing things cheap standpoint. Not a recommendation at all - but just get an idea of what these things look like in real life. Reviewing boat photos & internet research is well worth the time invested - but that hour or 2 walking a good marina is worth multiples of that, from a real-life perspective standpoint.

A lot of people post 1st questions like yours - and you've been one of the most impressive IMHO. You have thorough thought processes, and the right kind of attitude for good success in what you are seeking. It's a lot of fun to plan these things out, and one of the great things about the whole adventure.

Once you get a boat, it will literally become an physical expression of your whole mind. You will likely find all kinds of clever ways to combine storage, keep organized, find multiple planned uses for each item brought, and really be able to express yourself, and what you've gathered from your experiences. I wouldn't take 75k for my boat, and no one else would pay over 8k for it. It's more than worth than the 75k to me. I couldn't be happier - one of the best things I've done in my life, for many reasons. For right now, I went with a 22' Catalina. Even after buying a larger boat, I'll likely never sell it. The carrying costs are close to zero, and it's always there, ready to go, and can do a lot of things no other boat can do - for me. When I get older, and sell the larger boat due to carrying costs - I'll be coming back to it.

[sanibel sailor]

If you've lived for long in a hammock tent, ANY boat will seem a great luxury.

[gonesail]

if it were me .. I would seriously consider a Crealock Dana 24.

[TrentePieds]

Quote: "Also, I've read that every 10' of boat roughly doubles overhead costs. This notion is a prime-mover behind the flicka choice, perhaps THE top priority, or at least close."

Don't believe everything you hear, here or elsewhere ;-0)!

You are using the wrong metric! What works as a proxy for expected cost of ownership is DISPLACEMENT. But once you down into the range of primitivity occupied by baby boats like the Flicka, that doesn't really work any better than anything else.

So: Displacement and therefore expense of ownership, grows as the third power of INCREASE in length. Ergo: going from 30 feet to 40 feet means an increase in displacement and OWNERSHIP expense of 1.3 x 1.3 x 1.3 = 2.2 times. Going from 25 feet to 50 feet implies an increase in OWNERSHIP expense of 2 x 2 x 2 = 8 times. EIGHT times! Ownership expense is a different kettle of fish from ACQUISITION cost!

Similarly, volume of living space increases commensurately with displacement. BUT! A deduction must be made for the fact that bigger boats are more complex and those complexities consume space that would otherwise be available for living. These sorts of realities are difficult to reduce to mathematical formulas, so just be aware that it is so.

You say that you have 25 grand available for purchase. For that you can easily get a good 30-footer, and living aboard a 30-footer for long periods of time is at least possible if rather confining. You cannot say the same for a Flicka, lovely little boat though it be. You say that you wish to haul the boat behind a "schoolie". Do the math! Compare the interior volume of a slab sided "Schoolie" with that of a curvaceous Flicka [which, by the way, means "girlie" in Swedish :-)] and you will see that living in a school bus cannot fully prepare you for living in a 20 foot boat!

You comment about water makers leads me to believe that you are only just setting out on your quest for a new adventure and that you are not yet fully conversant with the nature of boats. That's okay. Only a few of us came out of the womb rowing a skiff, and those who didn't have a lot to learn.

You are most welcome here, and you are most welcome to ask any questions you like. But do be aware that sometimes the answers you will get will fell like being doused with cold sea water :-)

Now, the Flicka filled a niche half a century ago. That niche no longer exists, and from the perspective of most sailors today she is "a dog". Her basic design parameters are antique and her handling is not what most modern day sailors expect of their boats. I don't have a Flicka, but I DO have "a dog". I have it for very well-defined reasons - reasons that I am very conscious of. There is no reason that you shouldn't choose "a dog", just so long as you know that that is what you are doing and why.

My input screen seems to be playing silly-buggers with me just now, so I'll sign off. If I think of more things to say, I can obviously post a supplementary :-)!

TP

[Scout 30]

I think more important than asking for opinions is forming your own. That can only be done by looking at a lot of boats in person. Pictures are great but the more boats you look at the more you'll realize how misleading they can be. I can't tell you how many times I've been disappointed by a boat that looked great in pics but poor when you get there. It's also important to remember that everything on a boat takes way more time & way more money to repair than you think. Get a boat in the best condition you can. It will cost you a lot less in the long run than a fixer upper.

[Hardhead]

There's 1 good thing to be said for any trailerable sailboat, and that's providing a comfortable bunk at any state rest stop between the Florida Keys, the Great Lakes, the Pacific Northwest, and the Sea of Cortez. Depending on what you are looking for, that's a really nice feature. Some other people would be aghast at the cheapness, but it's an actual real benefit.

[clockwork orange]

Originally Posted by gonesail

if it were me .. I would seriously consider a Crealock Dana 24.

Why? could you please describe what it does well or better than other boats. I ask this because I have spent some time working on a customers one and fail to see any redeeming qualities that would justify the absurd price tags other than that people seem to be willing to spend silly money for cult boats so you can probably find another sucker when the time comes to sell. It would take a 3/4 or one ton pickup to tow one safely over the road so you need to factor that in too.